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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pop · rock · fine · plane · march · face · court · tear

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. plane — a tool
  3. court — for sport
  4. tear — to rip
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. rock — music
  7. tear — from crying
  8. fine — high quality
  9. court — of law
  10. face — part of the head
  11. face — to point toward
  12. pop — soda
  13. march — the month
  14. march — music
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. face — to confront
  17. pop — to visit
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. fine — all right
  21. rock — a stone
  22. tear — from crying
  23. court — of a king
  24. pop — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com